Fun in Space & Strange Frontier – pirate edition

How to distinguish: Different catalog number. Different sleeve/inlay which is the Fun in Space monster reading the magazine with Strange Frontier on cover. “Strange Frontier” is misspelled on the cover, reading “Strange Frontiers”.

Front cover of Fun in Space & Strange Frontier pirate

Back cover of Fun in Space & Strange Frontier pirate

Happiness – 2007 German counterfeit.

How to distinguish: Missing here is the UK catalog number. Original UK pressing was a limited edition numbered LP (with sticker on front and number on the back – the unnumbered version was the mega rare testpressing only!)

Roger Taylor Happiness LP – German counterfeit

The Cross

Albums

Title

Format

Catalogue number

Photo

Differences

Original

Counterfeit

Original

Counterfeit

Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know

CD

CDP 564-7 93924 2

CDP 564-7 93924 2
Matrix: ICM K013107 CDP 793924-2 113 0101

Counterfeits have been manufactured from the Swiss version of the album. The counterfeit can be easily recognized by the CD label which is standard silver instead of the original cream-coloured issue. The matrix number is different. The paper of the booklet is thin and smells of paint. The paint smudges around the middle of CD. When you look at the back sleeve the second part of bracket after “Old Men (lay down)” is present on the counterfeit while it is missing on the original.

Blue Rock

CD

1C 564-7 97624 2
Matrix: 797624 2 @ 1 1-2-2-NL

7976242
Matrix: 797624 2 @ 1 1-2-1 NI

The counterfeits have darker blue CD label, while the original has a very light blue. The plastic part in the middle of CD is blue on the counterfeit while it is transparent on the original. When you look at the back of counterfeit CD the blue paint is smudged. The booklet has only one page, smeels of paint and the paper is thin. The matrix number is different.

Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know / Blue Rock

CD

CDP 564-7 93924 2
1C 564-7 97624 2

RMCD-009

Two albums compiled on one CD. Different sleeve: inside the Mad: Bad’s sleeve is the Blue Rock. Totally different catalog number.

Singles

Liar

12″ Maxi

1C 060 14 7516 6

1C 060 14 7516 6

Counterfeit from 2005. Can be recognized by comparing labels: original one has black shadows, counterfeit has red/black shadows. Also cover has a fake “tear” mark near “h” from CHARGE written on the edge.

New Dark Ages

12″ Maxi

1C 060 204437 6

1C 060 204437 6

Counterfeit from 2005. Can be recognized by the sleeve which has the baby face missing. Usually described as a misprint or a reprint. An actual misprint might also exist.

How to identify an original Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know Swiss CD release

There are at least two different counterfeits of this release. It is impossible to identify the release by only having a photo of a front cover. Colors printed on the front cover are a bit different but you can recognize an original by having both editions side by side. The easiest way to recognize an original is to ask for a photo of label and back cover.

An original label is creamy in a non-uniform color (creamy to white). Counterfeit labels are rather plain silver CD or a plain (uniform) creamy color.

Inner ring of the original release is silver, while inner ring of the counterfeit is either transparent or creamy.

On the back cover (but NOT on the back of the booklet!) the closing bracket of the title Old Men (Lay Down is missing just as I’ve written here. The counterfeit releases DO HAVE the closing bracket.

The booklet paper of a counterfeit is thin and smells of paint.

A flower on the bottom-right of the original booklet’s second page is smaller than a flower on each of the next pages (4, 8, 10). Counterfeit release has a small flower on all of these pages (2, 4, 8, 10).

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – 2 original releases and two fakes (front)

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – 2 original releases and two fakes (labels & booklet backs)

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – original Swiss spine

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – original Swiss front

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – original Swiss booklet back

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – original Swiss back cover

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – original Swiss label

The Cross “Mad: Bad: and Dangerous to Know” – original Swiss matrix

How to identify an original Blue Rock CD release

There are at least two different counterfeits of this release. It is impossible to identify the release by only having a photo of a front cover. Colors printed on the front cover are a bit different but you can recognize an original by having both editions side by side. The easiest way to recognize an original is to ask for a photo of label and back cover.

An original label is pale blue, while a counterfeit has a blue label OR a pale blue label (-> see also an inner ring).

An original has a transparent inner ring, while a counterfeit has a blue one.

An original Electrola logo (the one with a dog) is divided vertically by two: left side is black, right side is silver. The dog is all silver. One counterfeit’s Elelctrola logo is all black with silver dog, and despite that the dog’s shape is different and funny (looks like a kid drawing, the dog is fat). The other counterfeit’s Electrola logo is divided vertically by two: left side is black, right side is silver but the dog has a head half black, half silver, he’s body is all silver and he’s shape is different and funny (looks like a kid drawing, the dog is fat).

On the back cover of an original 7. millionaire and 8. put it all down to love titles are written in red. On a counterfeit they are in orange.

An original Electrola logo (the one with a dog) is divided vertically by two: left side is yellow, right side is red. The dog is all red. A counterfeit logo is also yellow/red but the dog has a yellow/red head and red body, and despite that the dog’s shape is different and funny (looks like a kid drawing, the dog is fat).

Background color of the booklet and back cover is more blue-black on the original release; a counterfeit is blackish.

Titles in the original booklet are written in pale blue; the titles in counterfeits are written in grey.

The Cross “Blue Rock” – booklet backs of two counterfeits and an original

The Cross “Blue Rock” – back covers of two counterfeits and an original

The Cross “Blue Rock” – original back cover

The Cross “Blue Rock” – counterfeit back cover

The Cross “Blue Rock” – counterfeit back cover

How to identify an original The Cross Liar 12″ single

At a first glance it is not so east to identify a counterfeit release of 12″ Liar single. You have to ask for some specific photos. Matrix numbers of an original and a counterfeit are the same (side A/side B): 1475166-A2/1475166-B2.

On the front cover of a counterfeit release there MIGHT BE a small white vertical line along the right side (only some copies have this, it is due to bad cutting).

On the front cover of a counterfeit there is a fake tear mark. If you look at it at a short distance you’ll see that the tear is not in fact a tear but a printed mark. When you look on th spine, this fake tear is near “H” letter in “CHARGE”.

Front cover colors are different: an original has brighter colors, especially the blue which looks a bit turquoise, while a counterfeit has paler colors (black not so black, paler blue).

Cover of an original is a bit smaller than a cover of a counterfeit (original 308x312mm, fake 313x313mm).

Cover’s spine is 2mm thick in an original, while it is 2,5mm thick in a counterfeit.

If you have the possibility to obtain a photo of single cover’s spine, it is the easiest way to identify an original: it has its catalog number printed on the spine while a counterfeit doesn’t have one there!

When looking on the vinyl, both labels are sticked into a hollow of central label area on the original release; on counterfeits the label’s diameter is bigger than the diameter of the central label area.

Electrola letters on both labels are in different shade of red on both releases.

The upper part of an original label is black, the upper part of a counterfeit label is reddish-black.

A counterfeit label has a bad cutting on the left side, a bit under GEMA sign.

Vinyls of both releases have different thickness.

Vinyls of both releases have different color.

A rim of an original has 7 grooves, while a rim of a counterfeit has 3 grooves.

Archives

Roger Quotes

You really are putting yourself on a limb when you say stuff like that. It’s very direct and it says exactly what you feel. You’re sort of laying yourself wide open but that’s okay because if that’s what you believe, which I certainly do, I felt at the time somebody should say something. (laughs) It seems that the age of the protest song is just gone and that’s a shame.~Roger on The Unblinking EyeSource: Rock Cellar Magazine, 2014

Did you know

... that Roger Taylor was married to Dominique Beyrand on 25 January 1988 and that their marriage lasted till the 2000s?

On This Day In Roger History

1994 Roger was invited by Monitor-EMI to visit Prague in Czech Republic. In Prague Roger was awarded with gold disc for Greatest Hits II.

1998 Roger joined SAS Band at Alton Lord Mayor Treloar College, Hampshire, UK, in Rock And Roll during charitative concert.